Whenever I find myself sitting across a desk, a drink or a screen from someone whose opinion on something is different from mine, I always wonder what brought us to opposite sides of that issue. Do we really experience the world differently? Are our respective filters different? Are those differences accidental or by design? Has this person explored the topic from all angles or only from one side? (Have I?) Does this person get his or her information from reputable news sources or from shady websites? (Do I?) Does this person’s tastes in TV shows, movies, books and music perhaps reveal a cultural blind spot? (And right back at myself.) Is this person missing a piece of information or insight that I have access to? (Am I the one missing a vital piece of information or insight?) Finally, what is the smoothest path to finding common ground?

The answers to all of those questions can usually be found in understanding what path(s) this person took to arrive at their conclusion (or which path I should have taken, in the event that I should be the one who didn’t think it through all the way).

In the spirit of transparency, here are my weekly brain-feeding habits (good and bad). I won’t include books, movies and other long-format content since they aren’t recurring. If this gives you insight into how I use media to filter the world around me, good. Somewhere down the road, it might even come in handy if you ever need to change my mind about something.